Bridal designer Hayley Paige’s career path hasn’t always been smooth.
Paige, 39, has been designing wedding dresses from a young age, she tells CNBC Make It, and she started her namesake bridal line in 2011 with her former employer, bridal house JLM Couture.
Her career took a turn in 2021 when she lost ownership of her professional name and her intellectual property during a four-year legal battle with JLM Couture.
Last year, Paige was able to buy back the rights to her name, intellectual property and social media accounts in a settlement agreement after JLM Couture filed for bankruptcy.
Since then, she’s relaunched her bridal brand and founded an organization, A Girl You Might Know Foundation, dedicated to helping other creatives learn about and protect their legal rights.
Working in a creative industry may seem glamorous, but Paige has some “unsexy” advice for young artists: “You have to invest in learning the bare bones of business, and how to protect yourself.”
What she’s learned about business
A major lesson Paige learned through her experience is that “there’s just so much on the business side that you really have to be patient with” before leaping into a new venture, she says.
One piece of advice that Paige used to subscribe to is that once you have an idea, you should “get out there and do it” and “figure it out as you go,” she says.
She understands the sentiment, she says: oftentimes people “get caught up in the details of perfectionism,” which can hold them back from pursuing their goals.
However, given what she learned from her legal battle, Paige now advocates for a more cautious approach.
Before launching a business venture, entering a partnership or signing a contract, “you have to take a beat to really make sure you’re stepping out with the right foot forward,” Paige says.
“You can’t be so eager to just get out there that you don’t have your trademark, you don’t have your copyrights, you don’t have your LLC set up, you’re exposed with liability, you’re getting into partnerships without contracts, or with bad contracts,” she continues.
After Paige regained ownership of her name and trademark, she spent several months setting up LLCs and ensuring that her creative rights were protected before relaunching her brand.
It’s much harder to “go back and fight for things” once you’ve already set a precedent, according to Paige.
Her approach to leadership
Rebuilding her brand also taught Paige a lot about what kind of boss she wanted to be, she says.
“I’ve always been somebody that I want people to enjoy working with me, because I feel like they will do their best work when they feel passionate about it, and they’re being treated with respect and acknowledged,” she says.
Integrity is a key aspect of her leadership philosophy: Paige says starting over gave her the opportunity to build her brand on a “foundation of morals.”
This time around, she’s also focused on building healthy partnerships, she says. Paige now works with Australia-based bridal company Madi Lane Bridal Group, which serves as the exclusive manufacturing, distribution and sales partner for her new bridal line.
Paige still feels she has a lot to learn — “even to this day, after launching a small business and a nonprofit, there’s still so much I don’t know,” she says — but she’s committed to honing her “creative and strategic governance” skills.
“Everything you do really has to be methodical and strategized and really thought through,” Paige says.
Want to stand out, grow your network, and get more job opportunities? Sign up today for Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course, How to Build a Standout Personal Brand: Online, In Person, and At Work. Learn how to showcase your skills, build a stellar reputation, and create a digital presence that AI can’t replicate.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers.